


The path set out before us

by ThymekeNerada



Category: Da Vinci's Demons
Genre: M/M, a bit angsty, and leo is leo, spoilers for end of season 2, the most retarded genius ever to wander the earth, yet yearns for him, zo is irritated by leo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-04 00:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2903030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThymekeNerada/pseuds/ThymekeNerada
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place during 2.10. Zo is convinced that they'll not get out of this one. Leo needs to make sure that Zo stays safe. But Zo can't promise. Sometimes we don't get to choose, sometimes our path has been set out for us, and we just get to walk it to its end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The path set out before us

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Leoaster fic, and the first fanficlet I post on AO3. This is an act of desperation, because there's far from enough Leoaster love out there.

**In the city of Otranto, just before the Ottoman siege**

_This is it_ , Zoroaster is convinced. _We are done for_. They have been in a couple of tight spots, but never before have they found themselves in a city soon to be besieged by a ridiculously huge Ottoman army, the likes of which Italy has probably not seen since Roman times. Not even Leo, the brilliant Leo, will be able to find a way out of this one. Leo’s plan – it is insanity. Too many contingencies involved.

Zo has always been the incredulous one, constantly questioning Leo’s plans. And yet, he will always grudgingly trust Leo, trust him with his life. He has followed him under the sea, up in the air, and into strange lands. And somehow Leo has always safely carried them through.

But this time…

“I’m going to get some sleep. Couple of hours at least. Wake me when it’s time to set out.” Zoroaster glances back at Leo while he settles down on the cot in the corner of their room. Leo is taking notes and making small drawings on a chaotic array of paper sheets in the dim light of a candle. He’s tapping his pencil against the wood of the desk and muttering to himself. Zoroaster can’t imagine a more soothing sound atmosphere. He’s getting the best sleep when Leo is around. “Try to get some rest, too. You need to be at your best,” Zo adds, then yawns.

He’s just about to pull off his boots when he looks up and sees that Leo has paused in his work and is observing him pensively.

“What?” Zo asks. He’s not quite sure why his tone is so defensive.

“I need you to do something,” Leo says.

Zoroaster sighs. “I know what I’m supposed to do. I might not be as clever as you, but I’m not a fucking idiot, Leo.” Ride out of the city before dawn, down to the beach. Signal back to Leonardo when the Ottoman fleet is setting into motion. It’s not that difficult, really.

“No, it’s not that.” Leo hesitates for a moment. “I need you to ride away.” Zoroaster frowns, and shakes his head in incomprehension. Leo continues: “If things don’t work out, I need you to get on your horse and ride away. Get to a safe place.”

Zoroaster laughs, but it’s not a genuine laughter, and it sounds hollow even to his own ears. “Why’d you think I’d do anything but that?”

“I don’t know. I had an inkling.” Leo replies.

“Sure thing.” Zoroaster pulls off his boots and throws them to the ground. As far as he’s concerned, this conversations is over. But Leo doesn’t relent. He keeps fixating Zo with those piercing brown eyes of his.

“What?” Zo eventually groans in exasperation. “There’s something else, get it off you mind, Leo, for fuck’s sake.”

“I need you to promise me.”

“What?” Zo makes a face. Leo really has a knack for driving him crazy. “What do you mean, promise you what?”

“Promise that if things go wrong, you won’t came back to the city.”

“Why would I…”

“Promise.”

They both fall silent and glare at each other. Leo narrows his eyes on him, but Zo doesn’t budge. The staring contests begins to draw out.

“Why, Zo?” Leo asks. The puzzlement is written all over his face.

Zo knows the reason, and yet he doesn’t quite. He’s spent years to figure out his feelings for da Vinci, but whenever he thinks he has finally fathomed their nature and their depth, they surprise him again. And right now, Zo is as bewildered as Leo is. And yet. Leo might be a genius, but sometimes he’s so fucking retarded, Zo just wants to punch him in the face.

“You set Lucrezia free, didn’t you?” Zoroaster asks. It’s not like he even wants to ask this. He already knows. And yet, just as one can’t resist probing a bruise to see if it still hurts – of course it does – he can’t keep himself from bringing up this topic.

At last, Leonardo averts his gaze. “I had to,” he simply says. Then he shrugs. It looks like an extremely helpless gesture.

Zoroaster nods. He fully understands what Leo means. “See,” he replies. “Sometimes you just have to do things, because…” He breaks off. Now it’s his turn to avert his gaze. He can’t bring himself to say it. Saying it would make it real, and he doesn’t want to face it, not now. He’d rather die pretending he didn’t know. And the worst thing of all, he can understand why Lucrezia, can understand what Leonardo sees in her.

He gulps, and pushes himself to continue. “You set Lucrezia free because of that. I have to come find you because…” He shyly lifts his eyes to meet with Leo’s. “…because I always do...” _Return to you_ , is what he adds in his mind, but he doesn’t dare say it aloud.

A thought crosses Zo’s mind. He’s not a philosopher, he’s not great with words, but he has to set it out before Leo, plain and simple. He can just hope that his friend will understand him: “Sometimes we don’t get to choose. Sometimes our path has been set out for us, and all we can do is walk it to its end.”

Leo doesn’t say a thing in reply. His eyes are big and round with incomprehension. It hurts Zo in a way that he’s unable to verbalise. Again he doesn’t want to face it. Instead, he just mumbles: “Really need to get sleep.” Then he turns around, lies down and closes his eyes. This time, the conversation is finished for real. Or so Zo thinks, because Leo remains silent.

He has a restless sleep, and for some reason, he wakes up in the middle of the night. His head hurts, and he curses his bad luck. Of all the days, why does he have to be woken by a headache today? Maybe some water will help, so he makes to get out of the bed. But he’s stopped in his tracks when he realizes that he’s being observed.

Leo is still awake. He’s still sitting where he was, still staring at Zo. Did he move at all? Zoroaster is slightly creeped out. “What the fuck, Leo?” he shouts out indignantly, recoiling against the wall.

“I’ve been thinking…” Leo says, his voice hoarse with exhaustion.

“When do you ever stop thinking, for fuck’s sake?” Zo exclaims. “You’re scaring the shit out of me, you know that?”

“All those years ago…”

 _No_. Not here, not now. Zoroaster is not having this conversation. “Leo…” he protests weakly.

“I wasn’t aware of…” Leo stammers. “I shouldn’t have…”

“Leo, no!” Zo says, more forcefully this time.

Leo stops, startled. He stares at Zo. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, his voice speaking of his mortification.

 _For what?_ Zoroaster wonders. For talking too much? Or for bedding him when Zo was just an inexperienced, sixteen year old boy? Zo urgently hopes that it’s not the latter. He wouldn’t want Leo to feel sorry for that. Zo himself has never figured out how he feels about it.

But he knows how he feels about having this conversation now. He doesn’t want it. He can’t face it. “I’m going back to sleep. Don’t wake me before it’s time to go,” he says with determination ringing clear in his voice.

Leo gives a feeble nod.

***

When it’s time to ride out, Leo accompanies Zoroaster to the stables. It’s still pitch dark, only torches light their way. Just when Zo is about to mount, Leo calls out: “wait!”

Zo is getting impatient. His hand resting against the flank of his horse, he grumbles: “what is it?”

It takes Zo completely off guard when Leo lets his hand rest over Zo’s, and gives it a soft squeeze. There’s a promise somewhere in that touch. _A promise of what?_ Zoroaster is too frightened to explore the implications.

“We’ll talk. When we’ll see each other… later,” Leo says.

Zo is still dazed when he rides out of the city gates. He needs to regain his composure. He curses da Vinci for throwing _such a thing_ his way in a situation like this. Leo’s plan better work out. There’ll better be a later.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading. I'm positively thrilled. If you liked it, please show your appreciation by giving a kudo or leaving a comment. Writers need kudos the way a plant needs the sun, and comments the way a plant needs water.


End file.
